DISCLAIMER: Any characters from the TV show "Fame" belong to MGM Studios. The song quoted here is "Who's Gonna Know" by Kathy Mattea, available on her album "Walking Away A Winner," written by Jon Vezner. Minor modifications made to the lyrics.
Bruno stared at Danny and watched his best friend do a more than passable impression of a goldfish. Somewhere in his mind, the thought flitted by that Danny Amatullo speechless was indeed a rare sight, but he declined to remark on that to Danny.
He knew his friend was shocked. Who could blame him? Danny and Nicole had been friends, but as far as Danny knew, Bruno had never met Nicole. How could he tell him about her, about them, about the all too brief time they had had together?
How did you put any of it into words?
Bruno didn't know.
Danny stared at Bruno and back to the picture, his mind whirling. How did Bruno and Nicole know each other? How come they were there in Caruso's together looking like star crossed lovers, when she was Jesse's woman. Unless it was after she'd broken up with Jesse...but even then, to Danny and everyone else at the School of the Arts, it had always been Jesse and Nicole. Nicole and Jesse. Their names had always been linked, and everyone figured that it was just a matter of time until the two of them got back together. Even Danny, who had once had designs on Nicole, recognised that.
Until the accident.
Nobody knew how much Danny had blamed himself for that accident. It was him who had convinced Nicole to go to the party that night. It was him who organised the lift with Mikey Garth. Him who had lived while Nicole died. She was beautiful, intelligent, talented...she had everything to live for.
"How...what....?" One syllable communication was all Danny was capable of.
Bruno sighed and sat down. "You weren't meant to see that Danny," was all he said.
"Well that's for sure!" Danny exploded. "What is this Martelli? How did this happen?"
"What do you mean how did it happen? We met, we were friends."
"You were more than friends! Look at the picture, I got eyes! You guys were an item weren't you?"
Bruno stared at the picture Danny had thrust towards him. It was himself and Nicole, singing at Caruso's. "You know we were" he said dully.
"I don't get it Bruno. How did you meet her? You'd already left town by the time Nicole started at the School"
"I know. But I came back for a while." Danny sat down too as Bruno continued, his thoughts a million miles away. "Things weren't working out in L.A, so I came back to New York for a while. Mr Caruso was going away for a while, he trusted me, knew I knew the business, he put me in charge. I remember it was a stormy day, the rain was pouring down. The place was deserted when all of a sudden the door flew open. This girl came in, soaked to the skin........"
"Great" she said out loud. "They're closed. Figures."
Bruno realised quickly that she couldn't see him from his seat on the bandstand. "Hi" he said. Seeing her hesitation he added, "You can come in. We're open."
"Oh, I wasn't sure...."
"Oh no" Bruno laughed. "We're usually a little busier, but most people are at home because of the rain. Here," said, taking her coat. "Let me hang this up for you."
"Thanks" said Nicole, shaking out her hair, which, like the rest of her, was soaked. "Can you believe the rain?"
"It's gonna get worse." As he spoke, the volume of the rain on the roof increased. "See what I mean? Can I get you anything.....coffee, tea, a squeegee?"
Nicole laughed. "Some tea would be great. Thank you"
"Can I also interest you in a piece of Caruso's famous chocolate cake? Best in town."
Nicole looked at him, then towards the door where the rain was beating a steady pattern. "I'd love some."
When he put her order in front of her, Nicole looked at him. "Were you playing as I came in? I swear I heard music"
"Yeah, that was me." Bruno looked embarrassed. "I was just futzing around with some stuff."
"Ah, musically talented! Although I suppose with a name like Caruso…"
"Oh no, that's not me. I just work here, on and off when I'm in town. I do write songs though. My name's Bruno Martelli."
Nicole nodded. "Well?"
"Well what?"
Nicole looked in the direction of the bandstand. "Well, are you going to play for me, or do I have to beg?"
Bruno smiled. "Well, I couldn't make you beg."
Nicole sat and listened to Bruno as he played, and was pleasantly surprised. In a town where every waiter seemed to be either a songwriter or singer or actor, it was pretty rare to find one with any real talent. This guy was obviously an exception. She was startled out of her trance by a flash of lightning, and an answering clap of thunder a couple of seconds later, which caused Bruno's synthesisers to cut out momentarily.
Bruno looked up at the lights as they flickered again. "I think I'm just gonna go and get some candles. Just in case."
"Good idea," Nicole agreed. "Do you want me to leave? It's probably passed closing time."
"Don't be silly, send you out in that? You might as well wait until the storm passes."
"Do you mind if I look at some of your music?" Nicole called as he walked behind the counter.
"Sure, go right ahead."
Nicole went over to the bandstand and picked up some of the sheets. She idly hummed some of the lines to herself, then stopped to read one in particular. The sheet was covered in pen and pencil marks, an obvious work in progress. Nicole's brow furrowed as she hummed the melody to herself, then on impulse, she sat down at the synthesiser and began to play.
"On the top of my desk mid the clutter and dust
Sits an old 5x8 black and white
It's one of my favourite pictures of us
I'll carry with me all my life
I must have been about five or six
Mom's hair was still brown, and Dad's was still thick
But to look at it now sometimes I get scared
When I realise now I'm the only one there
'Cause who's gonna know but me
Who'll help me recall those small memories
Now I'm all that's left of this family of three
Who's gonna know but me
Down in the cellar under the stairs
Sits an old box of junk that I've saved
Newspaper clippings, letters and cards
Even some Code-a-Phone tapes
Slices of life I can hold in my hand
And show to my kids so they might understand
In those years to come when they ask me some night
What Grandma and Grandpa used to be like
'Cause who's gonna know but me
Who'll help me recall those small memories
Now I'm all that's left of this family of three
Who's gonna know but me
If life were a video I could rewind
I'd go back and slow down each moment in time
Then I'd disconnect the fast forward button
So I'd have forever to tell 'em I love 'em
The older I get, I can't get enough of 'em
'Cause who's gonna know but me
Who'll help me recall all those memories
Now I'm all that's left of this family of three
Who's gonna know but me
Who's gonna know but me."
She was so caught up in the song that she didn't notice Bruno emerging from behind the counter, with candles in one hand and a pot of tea in the other. She didn't even notice when he put them down on a table and sat, watching her sing the song.
For his part, Bruno was mesmerised by this stranger who had wandered in off the street, and was singing his song like an angel. "Listen to yourself Martelli" he mentally chided himself. "You're thinking in clichés" He was surprised to notice that he didn't care. When the song was over, he was silent for a moment before he spoke.
"That was beautiful"
She jumped when she heard Bruno's voice. She cleared her throat and wiped the tears that had welled up in her eyes as she was singing. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist..."
"No, no, no" Bruno interrupted her, coming towards her. "I meant what I said. That was beautiful. It was the way...the way I'd imagined it being sung. Your voice is incredible"
Nicole smiled. "Why thank you Mr Martelli"
"You're welcome Miss..... you know, I don't even know your name."
"It's Nicole. Nicole Chapman"
He took the hand she offered him, and as he shook it, his eyes lit up. "Nicole Chapman. You don't happen to go to the School of the Arts do you?"
Nicole's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you..."
"Your reputation precedes you Miss Chapman...courtesy of Danny Amatullo."
"You know...of course, Bruno Martelli!" Nicole smacked her forehead. " I thought the name was familiar. When you said you were a songwriter, I just thought you'd have written something I'd heard of. I thought Danny said you were out in L.A.?"
"I was" Bruno gestured with his hand, and they moved to a table. "I came back here for a while...I had a little stuff to take care of, and Mr Caruso was away, so he put me in charge here again."
"Does Danny know you're back?"
Bruno shook his head. "No....I haven't been back that long and I wanted to get used to being back here..." Bruno sighed, and Nicole could see the pain in his eyes.
"I won't tell him if you don't want me to.." Nicole offered.
Bruno shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to see him. It's just that this is a hard time for me." He broke off, unsure how to continue. He looked at Nicole, and saw to his amazement that she was waiting for him to go on, but also that she wasn't going to push him on it. There was something in the way she looked at him that made the ultra-shy Bruno Martelli drop his guard and tell her things he wouldn't usually tell anyone. "Things didn't go so great in L.A.," he said. "I almost had a deal, but it fell through. I'm still waiting on a couple of offers, so I said I might as well wait in New York as there And my pop died nearly three years ago. I wanted to be here for the anniversary."
"Were you guys close?"
"He had so many big dreams for me...I was going to be this great musician. He worked so hard to send me to the School of the Arts, to give me the best equipment. I used to tell him to slow down, but he'd never listen. He kept telling me that he knew what was best for me, and he was just making sure I got it."
"He sounds like a wonderful man"
"He was. He was. My mom died when I was a kid, so he raised me by himself. We were everything to each other. It was when only when he died that I realised how much he did for me...how much I leaned on him. I've been thinking about him a lot recently, thinking about all the stuff he said, and did. And about my mom too...I remember listening to her playing the Moonlight Sonata to me to get me to sleep. It was her favourite piece. That's kinda what that song grew out of.... the fact that there's no-one left but me to remember all those little things."
"But you remember them. That's what matters"
"I guess." Bruno looked at her and smiled.
"It does Bruno, it does. That song is beautiful"
"But it's not half as beautiful as the lady singing it." He reached over and squeezed her hand. Nicole smiled and squeezed back as their eyes locked across the table.
They jumped as another flash of lightning illuminated the room, followed by more thunder. Nicole dropped Bruno's hand, brushing her fringe back self-consciously. "What a night" she commented.
"So what brings you out in it? Most people are curled up at home tonight"
Nicole shrugged. "I just needed to think. I started walking, and then it started raining.... and I ended up here"
"Anything in particular on your mind?"
"Not really"
"Would you tell me if there was?"
"You mean tell all my troubles to a bartender? Isn't that a bit of a cliché?"
"I'll have you know Miss Chapman, I am the acting manager of this fine establishment. I am not just a bartender" Bruno's tone of voice gave away the humour he felt.
Nicole sighed. "It's just...the start of a new year, y'know? Where you look at what you've done in the past year, things you wish you hadn't.... things you wish you had. Things you want to change...." Nicole's voice trailed off as she found herself lost for words. "I'm just looking at my life...and I'm not so sure I'm happy with it"
Bruno nodded. "Ah yes. The spreading your wings syndrome. We all go through it."
"I thought I got it out of my system last year. I nearly left the school then. But this time it's different...I love the school, I don't want to leave...I just know things don't feel right"
"But nothing in particular?" Bruno tried hard to remember what Danny had told him about Nicole in his letters, then it clicked. Wasn't she the one he had fallen in love with during the Cyrano de Bergerac play.... the one with the boyfriend?
Nicole seemed to be at a loss for words. "Usually I love the start of a new school year. There's so much excitement, so much catching up to do. And this year, it's like I'm just going through the motions."
"I wish there was something I could do to help."
Nicole shrugged. "I'll live." She suddenly became aware that the sounds of rain had eased off. "I'd better go. My parents will worry"
Bruno stood up with her and walked with her to the coat-rack. "It was nice talking to you Nicole," he said.
"You too." Nicole turned to look at him. "Maybe I can come by again sometime? Talk, hear more of your music?"
Bruno's heart lurched at the hope he saw in her eyes. On the one hand, he'd give anything to see her again. On the other, she had a boyfriend. He'd heard all about Jesse from Danny. But standing at the door looking at her, there was no way he could say no to her. "I'd like that. I'm working here most evenings if you want to stop by."
Nicole's smile solved his moral dilemma instantly. "I'd love to. It was nice to meet you Bruno Martelli" On an impulse she put out her hand and he shook it, holding it a little longer than was necessary.
"Nice meeting you too"
Danny was shocked at Bruno's side of the story, and it showed. "You knew? You knew she had a boyfriend and you still went after her?"
"I knew. And so did she. But there was this chemistry between us Danny. It wasn't like anything I'd ever felt before. And she felt it too. That's why she came back."